Strategy for the management and disposal of used nuclear fuel and highlevel radioactive waste, u. Introduction to nuclear fuelintroduction to nuclear fuel. Nuclear science introduction of thorium in the nuclear fuel cycle short to longterm considerations oecd 2015 nea no. The whole point of a reactor is, after all, to initiate and control the process of fission on a very large scale in nuclear fuel, and the low cost of fueling is the chief reason for the economic competitiveness of nuclear power.
Thorium is a basic element of nature, like iron and uranium. Exploratory research on revolutionary new types of nuclear fuel pellets that would be safer in the event of a nuclear disaster has yielded promising results, according to a team of scientists from. The nuclear fuel typically used in nuclear power plants consists of uranium in the form of uranium dioxide uo 2. Thorium fuel cycle potential benefits and challenges. Iaea nuclear energy series technical reports role of thorium to supplement fuel cycles of future nuclear energy systems no. Nuclear fuel safety is the basic component of all safety requirements associated with nuclear energy production. The fuel fabricator loads these pellets into sets of closed metal tubes called fuel assemblies, which are used in nuclear reactors. Generally, a common fuel assembly contain energy for approximately 4 years of operation at full power.
Thorium is a potentially valuable energy source since it is about three to four times as abundant in the earths. Bush administration to form an international partnership to see spent nuclear fuel reprocessed in a way that renders the plutonium in it usable for nuclear fuel but not for nuclear weapons. For 60 years we have been providing the most reliable and efficient fuel in the nuclear industry. The uranium dioxide is fabricated into cylindrical fuel pellets, approximately onehalf inch long. The ultimate goal is to ensure that fuel rods in the reactor core will fulfil their main safety function, which consists of retaining all radionuclides, while generating energy. Nuclear fuel is material used in nuclear power stations to produce heat to power turbines. The use of thorium dioxide as a nuclear fuel has other interesting implications as waste management and operating conditions can be improved compared to other actinidedioxidebased fuel 1e7. The key feature of lwrs fuel cycles is that there are many fuel assemblies in the core and these assemblies have different multiplying properties, because they may have different enrichment and different burnup. Speakers from key government agencies and organizations that shape policy will present the latest insights on what lies ahead. This page describes how uranium dioxide nuclear fuel behaves during both normal nuclear reactor operation and under reactor accident conditions, such as overheating.
Like uranium, its properties allow it to be used to fuel a nuclear chain reaction that can run a power plant and make electricity among other things. The use of thorium as nuclear fuel american nuclear society. Uranium, the fuel used by nuclear power plants to produce electricity, is a naturally occurring element in the earths crust. Nuclear fuel depletion analysis using matlab software article in international journal of modern physics c 176. Today, the availability of fissile material plutonium or enriched uranium arising from the wellestablished uranium plutonium fuel cycle makes the implementation. What happens to nuclear fuel after its been in a reactor. Nuclear fuel depletion analysis using matlab software. This oneday forum will provide information on policy issues related to the nuclear fuel industry. Perspectives on the use of thorium in the nuclear fuel cycle.
Security implications of the nuclear fuel cycle october 2014 in 202014, the james martin center for nonproliferation studies cns at the monterey institute of international studies miis convened a group of distinguished american and japanese experts on nonproliferation to examine the security implications of the nuclear fuel cycle. Bwr water reactors, is in the form of uranium oxide. Nuclear fuel reprocessing is performed routinely in europe, russia and japan. The spent nuclear fuel management of current nuclear reactor is one of challenging issues for the continuous utilization of nuclear power. The politics, science, environment, and common sense of spent nuclear fuel reprocessing 3 decades later pdf. Uranium dioxide, a ceramic, is used because like all ceramics, it can withstand very high temperatures. Strategy for the management and disposal of used nuclear fuel and high level radioactive waste, u. The energy for the green revolution was provided by fossil fuels in the form of fertilizers natural gas. Those resulting from the exposure to emissions from fossil fuel use. From 2011to 2016 he also served as nea scientific secretary to the generation iv steering committee for the. The future of thorium as nuclear fuel gold geologist. Work in this area is often very expensive to conduct, and so has often been performed on a collaborative basis between groups of countries, usually under the aegis of the organisation for economic cooperation and developments.
A new approach to the nuclear fuel cycle nuclear threat initiative. The future of thorium as nuclear fuel streetwise reports. Nuclear waste from past operations that contain fissile uranium and plutonium can be used as startup fuel. We are proud of our engineering excellence in fuel design, optimization and analysis and have been recognized with dozens of patents, awards and honors.
Introduction to nuclear fuelintroduction to nuclear fuel cycle separations terry todd cresp short course introduction to nuclear fuel c ycle chemistry. Request pdf thorium as a nuclear f uel thoriumbased nuclear power, despite several decades of research and development, has yet to be fully commercialized. Fuel fabrication is more difficult than in a uranium reactor and the u233 fuel that is bred can be used to make atomic weapons, albeit with difficulty. Nuclear fuel security of supply european commission. Liquid fuel nuclear reactors todays familiar pressurized water nuclear reactors use solid fuel pellets of uranium dioxide in zirconium fuel rods bundled into fuel assemblies. Behavior of nuclear fuel during a reactor accident wikipedia. Thorium is the fuel we need for wastefree, safe nuclear energy, say proponents.
This is the first of nine modules available in this selfstudy course. A reactors ability to produce power efficiently is significantly affected by the composition and configuration of its fuel system. The sustainable nuclear energy technology platform snetp research to improve sustainability of nuclear energy conservation recycling of resources minimisation of radioactive waste volume, lifetime, radiotoxicity maintaining high level of safety and favourable economics gather all eu stakeholders involved in the nuclear sector and. There is no functioning international market for disposal. Physics and technology of nuclearexplosive materials nem and fissile materials nuclear weapons exploit the explosive release of nuclear energy from an exponentially growing chain reaction sustained by fissions triggered by fast neutrons i. Introduction of thorium in the nuclear fuel cycle nuclear energy. Scientists say nuclear fuel pools pose safety, health risks. A nuclear fuel assembly consists of hundreds of thousands of uranium pellets, stacked and encapsulated within tubes called fuel rods or fuel pins, which are then bundled together in various geometric arrangements. The use of thorium as nuclear fuel the american nuclear society endorses continued research and development of the use of thorium as a fertilea fuel material for nuclear reactors. The accident in japan strongly argues for the united states to have a national spent fuel policyrather than the adhoc policies that currently exist. Pdf an information management system for spent nuclear. A nuclear power program would take several years to establish, granting south australians a wide choice of nuclear technology options to select from. The nuclear fuel cycle a brief exposition of the nuclear fuel cycle.
The nuclear fuel cycle includes an erray of industrial operations, from uranium mining to the disposal of radioactive waste. Mit nuclear fuel cycle study advisory committee members iv. Thorium as a nuclear fuel request pdf researchgate. An information management system for spent nuclear fuel interim storage facility karl horak 1, hongnian jow 2, ken sorenson 1, robert finch 1, todd giles 1,3. The others are potassium, radon, radium, and uranium. Franco michelsendis is responsible for the coordination of nuclear data services and criticality safety activities at the oecd nuclear energy agency nea under the data bank and the nuclear science division, since 2010. Nuclear power corporation of india the kalpakkam fast breeder reactor, near tamil nadu. Report of the advisory committee to the euratom supply agency on the analysis of nuclear fuel availability at eu level from a security of supply perspective. The nuclear fuel cycle information system nfcis is an international directory of civilian nuclear fuel cycle facilities. Nuclear fuel is generally any material that can be burned by nuclear fission or fusion to derive nuclear energy there are many design considerations for the material composition and geometric configuration of the various components comprising a nuclear fuel system. Thorium fuel cycle is an attractive way to produce long term nuclear energy with low radiotoxicity waste. The future of the nuclear fuel cycle mit energy initiative. Fueling a plant global nuclear fuel ge hitachi nuclear energy. Its purpose is to provide the iaea, its member states and public users with current, consistent, and readily accessible information on existing, closed and planned nuclear fuel cycle facilities throughout the world.
Oct 29, 20 exploratory research on revolutionary new types of nuclear fuel pellets that would be safer in the event of a nuclear disaster has yielded promising results, according to a team of scientists from. Nuclear fuel supply forum nuclear energy institute. The requirements for the design, manufacture and permanent closure of the spent nuclear fuel canister are included in the guide yvl d. The process of extracting uranium and using it to generate electricity is called the nuclear fuel cycle. Nawada of the division of nuclear fuel cycle and waste technology. It does not need expensive and polluting enrichment used for uranium fuel. Analysis and management this 5day course provides a comprehensive overview of all activities related to the nuclear fuel cycle, not only from a technical point of view, but also with regard to the economic, political, and social impacts. In addition, the transition to thorium could be done through the incineration of weapons grade plutonium wpu or civilian plutonium. It is important to remember that the search of the accident tolerant fuels has become a vital topic of research, in the nuclear fuel domains, after fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant accident. Nuclear reprocessing is the chemical separation of fission products and unused uranium from. The purpose of this module is to provide a basic overview of the nuclear fuel cycle. A single fuel assembly spends about five years in a reactor on average, powering the system that generates electricity. Fuel used in most operating commercial nuclear reactors, including both pressurized pwr and boiling.
192 167 485 955 1340 929 125 128 563 18 633 982 305 1214 45 51 145 1393 1282 367 904 30 464 1326 1080 259 1496 113 1016 905 794 1339 1427 1531 234 98 1408 183 1254 620 919 499 214